WASHINGTON, August 31 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The United States has launched what appears to be a coordinated campaign against environmental organizations and individuals opposed to genetically-modified (GM) food, with two top U.S. officials blasting the groups as "irresponsible."

In a written statement issued Friday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said the groups were preventing food aid from reaching those in need, notably in southern Africa, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

"The United States remains the leading food aid contributor to the region, committing about a half of a million tons of food aid," Veneman said.

"However, our ability to deliver desperately needed food has been greatly hindered by individuals and organizations that are opposed to biotechnology and who are providing misguided statements about the U.S. food system."

The verbal salvoes come amid growing controversy over genetically modifiedcorn delivered to famine-stricken Zambia, which remains in local warehouses because of President Levy Mwanawasa's steadfast refusal to release it to the population due to safety concerns.

Friends of the Earth and other prominent environmental organizations have been campaigning against GM food, arguing the consequences of its consumption for people and the environment could be unpredictable.

The agriculture secretary said the food aid offered by Washington to southern Africa is the same food Americans eat every day, and the U.S. regulatory process ensures that the supplies reaching people around the world are safe and reliable.

"It is disgraceful that instead of helping hungry people, these individuals and organizations are embarking on an irresponsible campaign to spread misinformation and create an atmosphere of fear, which has led countries in dire need of food to turn away safe, wholesome food," Veneman said.

The harsh comments echoed those of Andrew Natsios, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, who was quoted as saying earlier in the day that environmental groups were endangering the lives of millions of Africans by encouraging their governments to reject genetically modified U.S. food aid.

"They can play these games with Europeans, who have full stomachs, but it is revolting and despicable to see them do so when the lives of Africans are at stake," Natsios told The Washington Times.

Natsios said environmental lobbies use using well-organized propaganda "the likes of which I have never seen before" in order to prevent the spread of genetically engineered food.

"The Bush administration is not going to sit there and let these groups kill millions of poor people in southern Africa through their ideological campaign," Natsios said in his interview.

The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush has had a chilly relationship with environmental groups from the very start.

The Greens have been critical of Bush's plan to boost energy production in the United States and played a significant role in the eventual killing by Congress of the president's plan to allow drilling for oil in the Alaska Natural Wildlife Reserve.

Meanwhile, Food and Agriculture Organization head Jacques Diouf on Friday asked drought-hit southern African countries not to turn away genetically modified food aid, saying the best available evidence determined it was safe.

However, according to an article published in IslamOnline’s Health and Science section entitled “Genetically Modified Risq” by Hwaa Irfan (7/26/02), many GM plants are still in the experimental stages and actually use more herbicides than their non-GM counterparts.

It has also been revealed that GM foods are also more expensive to maintain and utilize more resources to ensure their development than non-GM plants.